Apparatus for testing mine-gases.



- J. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR TESTING MINE GASES. APPLICATIN FILED JUNEV'u, 1909.

wif/imanes Patented De.` 21, 1909.v

by y i @ffm W atten/maj;

y lllhlillllcl'lli FATENT @itilftillilil JOSEPH SMITH, 0F TRINIDAD, COLORADO.

AEPARATUS FOR TESTING MINE-GASES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

annee?.

Patented lier. 2i, i905?,

Application tiled June 1l, 1909. Serial No. 501,509.

a portable apparatus which may be easily carried and is adapted to be taken into the mineI to the very seat ot danger for the pur` pose oi determining` the character and per-` centage of iniiannnable that may be present therein.

It has heretofore been proposed to withdraw samples of the gas from the mine by pumping it through aseries of pipes or conduits to the outside of the mine and there testing' the same by the character of the explosion when ignited. Aside from the great inconvenience and expense of all such methods, it is impractieable if not impossible to make a proper test at a distance. The test must be made at the seat of danger where the instrument can he placed or thrust into the gas or atmosphere Awhich is to be tested without' danger of changing the character or i the exact n'iiXture naturally existing in the mine. Moreover, the apparatus must be such that there can be no danger incident to its use in the presence of the gaseous atmosphore.

My present invention enablesthe operator to carry the apparatus to the place where the gas exists, and to introduce the `gas or atmosphere directly without piping or conveying is to a distance, thus obviating the difficulties which have heretofore attended such tests.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description, especiallywhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my testing apparatus; and Fig. 2 is an end View thereof, showing also the manner of con necting the testing lamp.

A pump cylinder or barrel l, having a plunger Q, which may be reciprocated by means of a suitable handle 3, is connected at each end through valve-controlled ducts ji,

with the pipe 5. to which an extension pipe o is Joined by a union 7. The pump cylinder is also connected through valved-ducts S,

`at opposite ends, with a common pipo lll.y to

which centrally connected the branch pipe ll` carrying a channeled ringv l2, hy means ot which a testing` lamp lli. may he connected to the apparatus. l prefer to use a lamp of the type known as the Volt safety lamp that lwill definitely indicate the presence ot as small an amount as iw'o per cent. of marsh gas in the atn'iosphere, which is far below that required when an explosive mixture is 'necessary for the testi.

It will be observed thatithe valves in each of the ducts connected with the pump cylinder are normally held to their seats by` springs and that they are ar 'anged to yield only to pressure tendingl to raise them from their seats and to be iirmly held to their 'seats by pressure -in the opposite direction.

l,Vhon it. is desired to make a test., the apparatus having been carried to the place where the gas is present. the extension pipe 6, which may be a single length of oneeighth inch pipe closed at its` outer end except tor the holes l5 serving as a filter, is thrust into .the place where the gas is supposed to exist. Upon reciprocatingVY the plunger 2, the gas is alternately drawn into the cylinder and forced througl'i the pipes l0 and li into thechanneled ring lwhich surrounds and covers the apertures 1G leading into the combustion chamber ot the lamp. N ow by observing the character' ot the flame, the appearance ot the tipV and the heightot the iiame, in a manner well known to those experienced in photometric measurements, the percentage of inflammable gas mixed with the atmosphere tested will be accurately known.

My apparatus is very light and may be easily carried from place to place by the operator. rihe length ot' pipe 6 may he disconnected at the union 7, making the apparatus very compact. By reason ot the fact that there is no explosion attending the use of my apparatus and merely small quantities of gas sutlicient to aliect the charactor of the flame within a, safety lamp, there is no danger in making' a test. Moreover7 the indications are exceedingly delicate, enabling one to detect thc presence of dangerous gases far too small to cause actual eX art that various changes may be made in the details of my apparatus without departing troni the spirit ot' my invention.

Having now clearly set forth my invention and the manner of using' the saine, I cluiml. A portable apparatus for testing mine gar-les. comprising` a tubular chamber, a reciprocable plunger therein, a conduit, Valved connections at either end of said chamber connected with said conduit, a socket adapted to hold a safety lamp, and a conduit connecting said socket with opposite ends o't said chamber through v'alved unions.

2. A portable apparatus for testing mine gases comprising` a tubular chamber provided with valved inlet and exhaust connections at either end, a plunger reciproeable within'said chamber, and an annular socket connected With said exhaust connections and provided With a channel to connectwith the inletof a. gas indicator. l

3. A portable apparatus for testing mine gases comprisingV a tubular" chamber pro-" In testimony whereof I atiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses. v

JOSEPH SMITH.

lvitnesses z C. J. MoKnnN, S. T. Jones. 

